The present invention relates to a system and device for measuring a time period for a container, and in particular, to such a system and device in which the amount of time which has elapsed since the container was opened is measured.
Containers are widely used for the storage and distribution of various types of materials. Many such materials are particularly time-sensitive, such as chemicals used for scientific and medical research and industrial production, various types of foodstuffs, particularly those which are intended for sensitive populations such as babies, pregnant women, individuals who are ill and the elderly; and medicines. Therefore, containers typically feature a printed date, after which the material inside the container is considered to have xe2x80x9cexpiredxe2x80x9d or to no longer be suitable for use and/or consumption.
This method has a number of drawbacks in operation. First, the user needs to examine the container for the date, and to remember to discard the container and its contents after the date has passed. Second, once the container has been opened, the rate of degradation of the contents may increase rapidly. For example, containers which are vacuum-sealed may provide a significant shelf-life for the contents before they expire, but only as long as the container remains sealed. Once the container has been opened, the date printed on the container may no longer be relevant for determining the freshness and/or efficacy of the contents. Since the container may be opened at widely varying times, which are beyond the control of the manufacturer, adding another printed date or other predetermined method for determining the state of the contents would not be useful.
One example of an attempt to overcome the drawbacks inherent in such predetermined information is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,540, which provides a sensor for detecting the quality of a beverage held in a beverage container. A timer starts operating to measure the time elapsed after the sensor detects a temperature of the beverage which is above a particular threshold. This mechanism is useful, in that it provides more immediate information about the contents of the container; however, it is also very complicated, as it relies upon determining the status of the actual contents of the container. For a heated beverage, determining the temperature of the liquid requires only a single thermal sensor. However, for other types of materials, such as chemicals or medicines, the quality of the contents is significantly more complicated, and relies on a host of factors which determine whether the contents are xe2x80x9cfreshxe2x80x9d or degraded. Therefore, inserting a sensor directly into such contents would not provide sufficient information as to whether the contents are degraded or still viable.
A more useful solution would be sufficiently simple to be operative with a wide variety of containers and their contents, yet would still be flexible. Unfortunately, such a solution is not currently available.
The background art does not teach or suggest a device or system for determining the status of contents of a container, without directly measuring some parameter related to the contents itself. In addition, the background art does not teach or suggest such a device or system which is flexible, yet simple and easy to use.
The present invention overcomes these deficiencies of the background art by providing a device and system for determining the status of the contents of a container by measuring the period of time which has elapsed since the opening of the container. The present invention provides a flexible mechanism for enabling the user to determine the usability or efficacy of the contents of the container, since such contents typically experience a higher rate of degradation once the container has been opened. Furthermore, the manufacturer is able to provide information related to the expiration date of an unopened container at the time of manufacture,but cannot determine the time at which the container is opened, and hence the expiration date after opening. The present invention enables the manufacturer to also provide information about the expiration date after the container is opened.
Preferably, the amount of elapsed time is displayed to the user with some type of display, which is more preferably a numerical display for displaying the actual elapsed time. Optionally, the display also features an alarm, for alerting the user to a period of elapsed time which is greater than a threshold. More preferably, the time at which the container is opened is determined through a detector for detecting the breaking of a seal or other event related to the opening of the container. Most preferably, such detection is performed by altering the state of an electronic circuit at the time of breaking such a seal, such that a timer is then able to determine when to start measuring the elapsed period of time.
According to the present invention, there is provided a device for measuring elapsed time after a container is opened, comprising: (a) a detector for detecting opening of the container; and (b) a timer activated by the detector after the container is opened, such that the timer starts to measure the elapsed time after being activated by the detector.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a system for monitoring a container after opening, comprising: (a) a detector for detecting opening of the container; (b) a timer activated by the detector after the container is opened, such that the timer starts to measure the elapsed time after being activated by the detector; and (c) an analyzer for receiving data from the timer concerning the elapsed time and for triggering at least one event after the elapsed time passes a threshold.
The term xe2x80x9copening the containerxe2x80x9d hereinafter refers to any action which alters or disrupts the integrity of any portion of the container. As a preferred example, xe2x80x9cbreaking a sealxe2x80x9d refers to the alteration or disruption of a particular portion of the container. It should be noted that a container may optionally feature a plurality of such seals, such that more than one seal should be broken and/or alternatively that only one seal of the plurality is broken when opening the container.
The term xe2x80x9ccontainerxe2x80x9d hereinafter refers to any object which is capable of holding or containing something. Examples of such containers include, but are not limited to, bottles, cans, jars, cartons, boxes, bags, sacks, barrels, sachets, tanks containing gases or liquids, balloons, and packets.